DirecTV to offer broadband to the boonies, teams up with ViaSat and Hughes Satellite providers

Sure, living in the boonies may give you plenty of space to test out high-tech farmingequipment, but at what cost? Rural homesteads just aren't suited for ye olde landline broadband and those fancy satellite setups cost a pretty penny. DirecTV understands, and has struck deals with ViaSat and Hughes to bundle their stellar bandwidth with pre-existing triple play packages to help reign in the cost of high-speed internet. Details on availability and price are still scarce, but DirecTV says customers should be able to take advantage of "certain special offers" later this year. Read on for the official press release, or check out our review of ViaSat's Exede service here.

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DIRECTV Video & High-Speed Internet Bundles Available Soon throughout the Entire U.S.

New Deals with ViaSat and Hughes will Provide Enhanced DIRECTV and Broadband Packages to Customers in Rural America; Supports Expansion of Connected Set-top Boxes

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- DIRECTV customers will be able to bundle their video and high-speed Internet services, no matter where they live in the United States, through new agreements with satellite broadband providers ViaSat and Hughes.

DIRECTV will offer the Exede℠ by ViaSat and Hughes' HughesNet® Gen4 next-generation satellite broadband services, with speeds of over 10 Mbps, to its customers living in mostly unserved, rural areas later this year. This new offering, coupled with already available triple-play bundles with Verizon, AT&T, Century Link and other telco providers, means that any DIRECTV customer in the U.S. will now be able to get bundled pricing.

Customers who sign up for satellite broadband through DIRECTV will be able to take advantage of certain special offers beginning later this year. More details on the offers and marketing plans will be made available closer to launch.

"We look forward to offering every single DIRECTV customer access to fast, affordable broadband options through DIRECTV, no matter where they live," said Oswin Eleonora, senior vice president, Emerging Markets, DIRECTV. "With greatly improved capacity and speeds, satellite broadband services provided by ViaSat and Hughes will fully support our customers' connected home experience, enabling them to access a host of features like YouTube, Pandora, social TV apps, and more than 7,000 VOD titles."